Sounding-board eor pianofortes



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD SWAN, JR., OF NEW BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

SOUNDING-BOARD FOR PIANOFORTES.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 6,889, dated November 20, 1849.

To all whom 'it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD SWAN, J r., of New Bedford, in the county ofBristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and importantImprovement to the Pianoforte; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had tothe ac companying drawings, making a part of this specica-tion.

The nature of my invention consists in the attachment of a sounding caseto the under side of the soundingboard of a piano, and the making asuitable number of openings in the sounding board for the escape of thesound from the case, for the purpose of adding power and sweetness tothe tone of the instrument.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a piano,and Figs. 2 and 3 are vertical sectional views of the same.

Similar letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

A, is the sounding board; B, is the sounding casesecured to the lowerside of A; and c, c, are the openings in the sounding board for theescape of sound.

The sounding board is constructed, and is secured in its place in apiano, in the usual manner.

There must be a space left between the sides and bottom of the soundingcase, and the sides and bottom of the piano, for the purpose of allowingthe sounding case to vibrate freely.

A suitable number of sounding posts may be placed in the sounding case.

I am aware that two sounding boards have been framed together andconiined to the framework of a piano; I do not therefore claim to be theinventor of a double sounding board; but

What I do claim as my rinvention and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is*- The combination of a sounding case with the ordinary sounding boardof a piano, (suitably perforated with sound openings,) substantially inthe manner and or the purpose herein set forth.

RICHARD swAN, JR.

Vitnesses JAMES D. THoMPsoN, JOSEPH C. KENT.

